HSUS Gets Another ‘D’ Grade from Charity Watchdog

Ever get déjà vu? We feel like we’ve written this article before. And that’s because we have—about half a dozen times.

The Humane Society of the United States has once again gotten a “D” grade from the American Institute of Philanthropy/CharityWatch, according to the group’s August Charity Rating Guide. CharityWatch has now given HSUS a “D” grade for two years. (It previously had a “C-minus”—which would still get you grounded by your parents.)

CharityWatch writes in an accompanying article that HSUS gets a “D” for “spending paltry amounts on their programs and maintaining high fundraising costs.” The watchdog finds that HSUS spends as little as half of its budget on programs and spends as much as 48 cents to raise every dollar. HSUS is a factory fundraising machine—and a deceptive one, at that.

Above is the relevant excerpt from the report (click to enlarge), but if you want more you’ll have to become a member of CharityWatch. It’s not a bad deal by any means—the thrice-yearly guide covers hundreds of charities. HSUS isn’t the worst of the bunch, but its longstanding “D” grade certainly places it near the bottom—and should certainly put it out of the portfolio of anybody who cares about animals.